Who Needs a Hospital? Study Shows Home Births On the Rise

A new study shows that more moms are opting to give birth the old-fashioned way, at home, sweet home.

The study, originally reported in Today, shows that many moms are choosing to shun hospitals for the (supposed) comfort and control a home environment provides. According to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-hospital births have risen 0.1 percent from 2011 to 2012, with two-thirds of these births now occurring at home.

According to the CDC report, the largest group of at-home births occurs among non-Hispanic caucasian women. These women had the sharpest increase — 70 percent — choosing to birth at home between 2004 and 2012.

What accounts for the rise in at-home birthing? Mom Sharon Kulstad explained to Today, “At the hospital I felt like I was talking to the doctors and nurses and they weren’t listening. What appealed to me most about home birth was that it would be calming and something I’d have control over.” Control over birth and labor? Hmm … good luck with that!

How does the medical community feel about this? In 2011, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated that it “respects the right of a woman to make a medically informed decision about delivery,” although it still recommends giving birth in a hospital.